


Whats the story behind the ring?

by GreenGlitchBitch



Series: Stucky oneshots [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, M/M, Married Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve tells a story, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-31 06:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18586036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenGlitchBitch/pseuds/GreenGlitchBitch
Summary: Ultron had kicked their asses. Nobody even tried to deny. They let the Maximoff girl get in their heads, and royally fuck them up. To make matter worse, she’d gotten inside Bruce’s head, and helped the other guy come out, leading to a rampage, and a fight between the Hulk and Tony in the Hulkbuster suit, costing countless lives, and the destruction of a building.





	Whats the story behind the ring?

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is actually a story I literally dreamed up. Like, I fell asleep, and dreamed itThe dream version went a little different than this, but, it's still the basic premise of how the drea went. Takes place during Age of Ultron, but there's a lot more plot than they show at the Barton's farmhouse. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Ultron had kicked their asses. Nobody even tried to deny. They let the Maximoff girl get in their heads, and royally fuck them up. To make matter worse, she’d gotten inside Bruce’s head, and helped the other guy come out, leading to a rampage, and a fight between the Hulk and Tony in the Hulkbuster suit, costing countless lives, and the destruction of a building. They all knew they needed to hide out for a little while, and Maria only solidified that fact, calling them from the tower.

  Nobody knew where to go, except Clint, who Tony gave the wheel of the Quinjet to gladly. It was a quiet flight to wherever they were headed, the only sounds coming from the jet, and an occasional sniffle from different people. Everybody was on edge, but at the same time, they were all drained emotionally, mentally and physically. And nobody was showing it more than Steve. They all knew him to be the strong, silent type, but never like this. 

  Normally, he was silent on flights unless someone needed him, or unless he needed to talk to the team about how the mission went. But he always held his head high, like a beacon of confidence. It always kept everyone’s morale up after a mission, especially if it was less successful than they planned. But this time, he looked like a broken man, his head held low, his back hunched down, and his shoulders drooped, as if the weight of the world had come crashing down on him.

  His helmet was off his head, resting in the seat next to him. His shield sat on the floor, and his gloves were in his lap. His elbows rested on his lap, his hands held against his face. Nobody dared say a word, but they all noticed the tears dripping down his face, and the way he seemed to hold his left hand against his mouth, almost like he was either in deep thought, or like he was kissing his hand.

  They all noticed, but knew it was best to leave him be. Everybody knew that the Maximoff girl showed them something, but nobody dared ask the other what it was they saw. And they all knew that behind Steve’s proud stance was a man who was in too deep, with nobody to help pull him out. But they knew better than to ask what Steve had seen that caused him to break.

  They flew for several hours, before finally landing near a small farm house. They all stood up, and walked out of the Quinjet together, as Clint lowered the door, and helped Nat walk. Everyone looked as confused as the other, when Clint opened the door, and called out to someone. Everyone looked even more confused when two children, and a very pregnant woman greeted him. Turns out, Clint has been married for years, with two kids, and a third on the way. When Clint joined the Avengers, Fury helped him set up this farmhouse, and helped him keep his family safe and a secret, strictly off the records.

  Everyone was split up into rooms they could share, with Clint taking his room, alongside his wife, Nat sharing a room with Bruce, and Steve bunking up with Tony. Thor would have been offered the sofa, but he had urgent business to attend to, and quickly flew off without another word, leaving the team behind. Steve and Tony weren’t ecstatic about sharing a room, but they knew the Bartons had limited space, so they graciously accepted. 

  After a few days, everyone began to settle, though knowing they couldn’t hide out forever. They all chipped in, and helped around the house, wanting to be polite guests. Steve and Tony chopped firewood, Nat helped decorate Nathaniel’s room, and did some cleaning around the house for Laura, who was far along in her pregnancy, Bruce taught the kids simple science facts, and everyone helped with homework as best they could.

  Everybody noticed some things here and there about each other, especially Steve. Nobody realized how good he could be around children. They also noticed how quickly he would do something if Laura asked him for help. Tony even learned that he could rip a log in half with his bare hands, which scared him more than he cared to admit. But the biggest thing everyone noticed was the very clear, very obvious gold band around Steve’s left ring finger.

  Nobody had ever seen it before, and they all started to wonder. Was Steve married? Was he engaged? When did this happen? Did he have a family that was kept off the records, like Barton? Had he and Peggy gotten engaged before he went into the ice? Is it someone he met after coming out of the ice? Everybody asked themselves those questions, but nobody dared to ask Steve. Except Tony.

  It was late one evening, a few days after arriving at the farmhouse. Everyone had finished up their dinner, and Steve had volunteered to do the dishes, insisting that Laura take a rest for the evening. She appreciated the gesture, and let Steve do the dishes for her. The ring sat on the counter behind him, most likely so that it didn’t get wet. Tony, who had been sitting at the table, got up, and picked it up, gingerly.

  “Hey, Capsicle. What’s the story behind this ring? You got a secret farmhouse like Barton?” he asked, a light hearted tone. Steve turned around quickly, a look on his face that Tony had never seen before. It was a mixture of worry, fear, and anger, and it was aimed right at Tony.

  “Tony, please put that back on the counter” Steve said, sounding like he was trying to keep calm. Tony picked up on that, and looked a little worried, for both his sake, and Steve’s.

  “Okay. But, are we gonna get to hear the story? I mean, everyone’s noticed, they just haven't asked” Tony said, putting the ring back down, gently. Steve turned back to the dishes, thinking for a minute.

  “Alright. Just let me finish up these dishes, and I’ll meet you in the living room” Steve said, sounding strained. Tony walked into the living room, where everyone else was already sitting, and sat down on the empty couch. After about 5 minutes, Steve turned off the water, dried off his hands, and put the ring back on. He walked into the living room, and sat next to Tony, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him.

  “So, do we get to hear the story about the ring now?” Tony asked, sounding excited. Steve sighed slowly.

  “Yeah. But, to tell that story, I have to tell another one first” Steve said, taking a deep breath, before continuing.

  “I was born on July 4th, 1918. That’s not something the government made up when I became Captain America. Turns out, I almost didn’t make it through my first day alive. The doctors said that my heart was so weak, I wouldn’t make it to the end of the day. My mother, Sarah Rogers, bless her soul, used to remind me of that every birthday. She used to say that she knew I would make it. She could feel that I was a fighter, and that I wasn’t going to give up, even from the start.

  “I never got to meet my father, Joseph Rogers. He died, fighting the Great War in Europe when I was only six months old. But mom used to say that he was watching me from heaven, and he couldn’t be more proud. My mother raised me alone, a single mother, who found work where she could, trying her hardest to raise her only son alone, when he constantly got sick, and needed expensive medicine. Despite all that, we were still a very happy pair. What we lacked in money, we made up for with high spirits.

  “I was always ostracized by my classmates, because I couldn’t play with them, because of my asthma. So, at lunch, I would sit by myself, and draw. Until one day, this young boy started picking on this girl. My mother had raised me to respect women, of any age, no matter what they looked like. So, I tried getting the boy to respect her too. He ended up punching me in the stomach, so I fought back as best I could, which wasn’t much. He beat me up pretty bad, probably would have done worse to me, if it hadn’t been for this kid, a year older than me.

  “Managed to stop the guy from beating the life out of me, and he even helped me up. I introduced myself to him, and he told me his name was James Barnes, but everyone called him Bucky. We quickly became best friends, and within the next year, we were practically inseparable. He would constantly be over at my house, keeping me company when I was too sick to go to school. My mother grew to call him her second child, and she loved him like a son.

  “We would sometimes go to his house, and make fun of his sisters, who were all younger than him. His mother grew to call me her second son, and his father became something of the dad I never had. We were thick as thieves, and we only grew closer as the years went on. As we got older, I started to feel funny things in my chest everytime I saw him. When we started going to high school, we were still close, but he would spend time with his girlfriends, though somehow, he always managed to find time for me.

  “We graduated high school together, and prepared for college, something most kids didn’t do in those days. He was looking to become an engineer, and I was accepted into an art on a scholarship. He had managed to scrape together enough money to buy his own apartment, while I was still living with my mother. Things were going great for the both of us, and we were well on our way to graduating college. Until my mother got sick. She was a nurse, and had to be around so many patients, all with different diseases, it’s a wonder how she hadn’t gotten deathly ill before then. We all thought it was just a simple cough, there was nothing else to it, no need to go to the hospital. Until one day, she started coughing up blood, and we realized it was more than that. We were down on cash, but we didn’t have a choice.

  “When we finally managed to get down to the hospital, Bucky had come with us, wanting to make sure the both of us were okay. He loved Sarah Rogers like she was his mother, so he went with us gladly. They diagnosed her with Tuberculosis, and gave her a month and a half, at most. We traveled back to our house, Bucky joining us. She headed straight to bed, kissing us both on the cheek before she went. 

  “I headed to my room as well, Bucky following me. I didn’t even make it to my bed, before tears were streaming down my face, in a mixture of anger, sadness, and fear. I had tried to stay strong for mom, but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I just collapsed into tears. Bucky pulled me into a hug, led me to my bed, sat me down, and just held me. He didn’t even say a word, just let me get all my tears out. When I started to calm down, he just rubbed my back calmly. I still remember the conversation we had that night.

  “I told him, ‘Buck, I don’t want to lose Ma. I’ve already lost my dad, if I lose her too, I’ll be alone’. He just looked at me, and smiled softly, saying, ‘You won’t be alone, Punk. You’ll still have my ma, and my pops, and Becca. And don’t forget the most important person, me! You’ll always have me. I’m with you till the end of the line’. It was in that moment, I realized I was in love with James Buchanan Barnes. And I was perfectly alright with that, because it felt right. But I couldn’t tell him, I couldn’t tell anyone. There were stories of homosexual people being killed, or imprisoned, and it was terrifying to think that that could happen to me, just because I loved my best friend. That moment was one of the happiest, saddest, most fearful moments of my life up that point, and I felt so conflicted.

  “We didn’t talk much that night, but he didn’t leave my side once. We ended up falling asleep next to each other, and when I woke up with his arms wrapped around my waist, it was the happiest I’d ever felt. But I got up before he did, and never brought it up. As the days went by, my mom got sicker and sicker by the day. In her last week alive, she was bedridden in the hospital. I visited her everyday, rarely every leaving her side, until the hospital staff threatened to kick me out. I became incredibly angry in that week, and picked a fight with practically everything that moved.

  “But everytime, Bucky always found me, and got me back home safely, and patched up. The last time I visited my mother was on her deathbed. The doctors knew she wasn’t going to make it through the night, and she did too. That day, Bucky decided to go with me, to keep me out of trouble, as he put it. But I knew he wanted to say goodbye. We both knew she didn’t have much time left, if any. She was so happy to see the both of us one last time. She told Bucky to always respect women, and to never change. She thanked him for always being there for me, even in my lowest, and my sickest times. She told him that she couldn’t imagine life without him there with me. Then she turned to me” Steve’s voice faltered a little, and he took a few deep breaths before continuing.

  “She told me to always take my medicine every morning, to make sure that my shoes are shined, and my clothes are clean. Then she asked Bucky if she could speak to me alone. He nodded, and left the room. Then she took my hand, and told me something I’ll never forget, until my dying day. She said, ‘I know you love him. I can see it in your eyes, clear as day. It’s the same look I had in my eyes when I used to look at your father. I want you to know that no matter who you love, I will always love you. Love is love, and it doesn’t make a difference who you love, you are still the same Steve I gave birth to, and I could not be more proud of the man you’ve become. You have grown up to be such a strong, handsome, kind young man. I know your father is looking down on you right now, just as proud as I am. Never change, Steven Grant Rogers’” Steve’s voice faltered again, and this time, he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He took a few more deep breaths, and felt someone rub his back calmly. He guessed it was Tony, and was grateful for the support. He took a few extra deep breaths, wiped his eyes, and continued.

  “She squeezed my hand tightly as she said that, then told me to have Bucky come back in the room so she could talk to him in private. I nodded, and Bucky and I swapped places. After a few minutes, Bucky told me to come back in the room. I stood next to my mother, grabbed her hand, and held it tightly. She told the both us, ‘I am so proud of the both of you, and the men you have become, and the men you will become. Always remember the bond you two have, and always remember that you are both there for each other. Always remember that I will be watching you from heaven. 

Is breá liom an bheirt agaibh’, which is Irish for ‘I love you both’. 

  “And Bucky and I both responded, ‘tá mé i ngrá leat freisin’, which is Irish for ‘I love you too’. Bucky knew some Irish, after asking mom to teach him when we were kids. And then her hand went limp in mine, and we both knew she was gone. And that was the last time I ever spoke a word of Irish” Steve finished, taking a second to dry his eyes again, sniffling a few times. And nobody would ever admit it, for fear of death, but everyone saw both Tony and Nat wipe their eyes as well.

  “I’m sorry all that happened to you, Steve. Now, how does that tie into the story about the ring?” Tony asked, after a good 20 second pause, to give Steve a moment.

  “Well, now that leads into the second part of the story” Steve said, smiling. Tony’s mouth fell open in shock.

  “How many parts are there?” he asked, sounding exasperated.

  “There are quite a few parts to this story” Steve said, laughing a little.

  “Very well. Continue your multi-part story” Tony said, and Steve smiled again.

  “It wasn’t long after mom dying that we had her funeral. It wasn’t a very full church, but there were quite a few people there to pay respects to her. Namely a few doctors she had grown close to, some old patients of hers that she had helped save, and the entire Barnes clan, complete with Winifred Barnes, George Barnes, Bucky, and all his sisters. It warmed my heart to see them there. Bucky chose to sit next to me the entire time, squeezing my hand tightly and comfortingly, which I was very grateful for. He even stood up and said a few words, and though I would never tell him, I noticed him wiping his eyes after sitting down again.

  “When it finally came time for me to say some things, I hadn’t prepared a speech. I don’t think I could have if I tried. Everything I said at that funeral was from the heart, unplanned. After I was done, they prepared her casket for burial, and I didn’t stay. I couldn’t. It was too overwhelming to stay. I wanted to imagine she was still with me, and I guess at the time, I figured if I left, she wouldn’t be gone, just at home, waiting for me like normal. I walked home alone with my thoughts, and I somehow managed to stay out of a fight. 

  “A few blocks from my house, I heard someone calling out to me from behind. It was Bucky, running to catch up with me. We continued on in silence, until we finally got to my front door. Bucky walked behind me and said, ‘We looked for you after. My folks wanted to give you a ride to the cemetery’. I replied, saying, ‘I know. I’m sorry, I just kind of wanted to be alone’. ‘How was it?’ he asked me, and I could tell he was trying to comfort me. ‘It’s okay. She’s next to Dad’ I said, trying hard to keep my tears at bay. 

  “I felt like I had to stay strong. It’s what she would have wanted. Then Bucky asked the question I had been hoping he would ask. He asked me to move in with him, saying he didn’t want me to be alone. I tried refusing, wanting to be alone. I told him, ‘Thank you, Buck. But I can get by on my own’ He looked me in the eyes, and grabbed my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. He smiled softly at me and said, ‘The thing is, you don’t have to. I’m with you till the end of the line, pal’.

  “And just like that, suddenly I was living with Bucky. We were still attending college, and things were going great for us, even through the constant sadness I felt over losing my mother. But as always, something got in the way. After a few months of living together, I got sicker than I had in years. The doctors said it was Pneumonia, and that if I didn’t get the medicine I needed, I wouldn’t make it. But we didn’t have the money for medicine at the time. I had to stop going to school, sick in my bed, unable to go anywhere.

  “One day, I had a coughing fit, the worst one yet, and there was blood in my hand. Bucky had waited on me hand and foot, choosing to stay with me, than to leave me alone. But, that day, we both had a feeling I wasn’t going to make it. Bucky didn’t leave my side the entire day. He just sat at the chair next to the bed, and held my hand. It was close to the end of the day, and the sun was going down, when he finally broke down. I heard sobs next to me, and turned to look at the man I loved, sobbing into his hands. He looked at me, and told me something I will never forget. He grabbed my hand again, kissed the back of it, and said, ‘You’re all I have left, Steve. I don’t want to live without you. Please don’t make me find out what life is like alone. I can’t lose you. I love you, please don’t leave me’.

  “I thought I was going crazy from the sickness. Thought maybe I was hearing things, or that I had died and this was heaven. So I figured, what the hell, might as well. I’ve got nothing left to lose. I just looked at him and smiled weakly. I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could, which wasn’t very tight at all, and said, weakly, ‘You won’t be alone, Jerk. You’ll still have your ma, and your pops and Becca. And don’t forget the most important person, me! You’ll always have me. I’m with you to the end of the line. I love you too, and I’m not leaving you yet’. 

  “And after that, I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning, feeling better than I had since I got sick, though I was still very sick. It had been a miracle, and I knew that mom and dad were watching over me. I heard a light snoring, and turned to my left to find Bucky, still sitting in the chair, his head resting on the bed, fast asleep. I smiled to myself, and gently played with his hair. He started to stir, and sat up slowly, and I noticed the tear tracks that stained his face, as if he had fallen asleep crying. When he saw me, breathing and still alive, he smiled so wide, and hugged me tightly. He started crying, talking about how he thought he had lost me, and that I was gone. I told him he wasn’t getting rid of me that easily. He laughed, and then I remembered what he said to me last night.

  “I asked him, ‘Buck, did you mean what you said last night?’. And he blushed and looked away, which was something nobody had ever seen before. I myself was shocked! The Great, Smooth Bucky Barnes, blushing? But then his eyes met mine, and he nodded. In that moment, I lost any doubts I had, and I leaned in, and kissed him. It was better than I had ever thought it would have been, but I began to feel like I had ruined everything between us. Just before I pulled away, he kissed back, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was tempted to check my pulse, to make sure I was still alive.

  “After that, life for us had changed a lot. Now we both lived on the edge, always scared that someone would find us. We had to act like friends when we were outside in public. Bucky had found a community of queers, as we were called back then, and had come up with a plan on how we could go on dates together. He became friends with the people there, and we would set up ‘double dates’ with lesbian couples. We would go with them to clubs, or restaurants, or fairs, and make it seem like it was us and a girl partner, when actually, we were posing. The girls would be on a date with each other, and Bucky and I would be on a date with each other. It kept the four of us safe from suspect, and it allowed us to go out.

  “Everything was going well for us, living together, both still in college, we could go on dates regularly. Until the rent got to be incredibly high, and neither of us could pay for it with the income of the part time jobs we had. Bucky would go out in secret and look for a better paying job, and he did find one, at the docks. But to take it, he had to drop out of college. That was our first real fight, whether or not he should drop out and take the dock job. I didn’t want him to, and I even offered to pick up another job, but he refused. In the end, I knew there was no convincing him against it, and the next day, he dropped out, went down to the docks, and started work. He made far more money than before, and we were soon back on our feet, financially.

  “Things were rough for the next few years, but we were happy. We were in love, we wanted to get married, but we knew we couldn’t, because it was illegal. But, everything came crashing down when America declared war on Germany. We knew it was only a matter of time before Bucky’s number came up, so we spent as much time together as possible. Meanwhile, I tried three times to get in, failed all three. And finally, Bucky was called in through the draft, and had to leave for training, where he quickly climbed the ranks to Sergeant. When he came back, we spent the entire day with each other, hoping and praying he wouldn’t get orders any time soon.

  “We had a good two months before he got his orders. ‘Sergeant James Barnes of the 107th, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow morning’ He wanted one last day together, so we set up another double date, and went to the science expo. We didn’t leave together, because I tried my luck at enlisting one last time, where I met Doctor Erskine, and I was finally accepted into the army. I raced home, excited to tell Bucky, but when I got there, he’d come back from the date, and we finally got to be alone together. We knew it was his last night in Brooklyn, before being shipped off to what seemed like certain death. One thing led to another, and I never had the chance to tell him about Erskine. And the next morning, he was gone” Steve finished, smiling sadly. Everyone slowly nodded, taking in the information.

  “So you accepted the potential to be a lab rat, just so you could go to the army?” Nat asked, looking at him like he was insane. Steve nodded, and she smirked.

  “We all know about the army stuff, let’s get back to the ring!” Tony said, sounding eager to hear the story.

  “Ok, so, next part. I trained in the program, and was eventually picked for the Super Soldier serum, which as we all know, and can see, was a success to this day. I wanted to join the war so badly now that I could fight, and not be held back by any illness. But Colonel Phillips refused, calling me ‘a lab rat’. The senator took pity on me, sort of, and offered me a position helping the war effort. I thought that meant that he was going to get me onto the battlefield. Instead, he turned me into a bond salesman and spokesperson, essentially a dancing monkey.

  “I toured the country for months, spreading the word about bonds, and eventually, we traveled across seas, to try and lift the spirits of the soldiers on the front lines. We stopped near Germany, and gave a show to some soldiers, who didn’t exactly like me, to put it lightly. After the show, Peggy found me, sulking, I guess you could say, and that’s when I learned that the men who booed me were the remains of the 107th, Bucky’s unit. I rushed to talk to Philips, and found that he was MIA, considered dead. I couldn’t accept that. Without Bucky, I had nobody there for me.

  “I went rouge, in a sense, had Howard fly me over German lines, and into the base where the rest of the 107th was being held. I snuck my way in and freed every man I could find, but I couldn’t find the one man I wanted freed. Until I did a little searching, and found Bucky, almost delirious, on a metal table, strapped down, repeating his name and number to himself, almost as if he would forget them if he stopped. I freed him, and we ran off to find an exit. We ran into Schmidt on the way out, and almost didn’t make it. It was a long journey back to base camp, with thousands of men, hundreds of them injured, but we eventually made it.

  “After that, Bucky and I created the Howling Commandos, with some fellow 107th members, who were happy to join. We went on so many missions, with Bucky as our eyes, our sniper, always watching our 6. The Howlies had all learned about our relationship, as well as Peggy and Howard. They all kept it a secret, but they also said there was nothing wrong with it” Steve said, before getting interrupted by Tony.

  “My dad knew about your sexuality before I did! Why didn’t you tell us, Cap?” Tony asked, looking perplexed. Nat got up from her seat, walked over to Tony, and smacked him across the head.

  “Clearly, because it was his choice, Tony. He came from a time where homosexuality was thought to be a disease that needed to be cured. And when he wakes up after 70 years, suddenly he can show it proudly. Not to mention that same sex marriage has only been legal nationwide for a little while. It’s something he needed to comprehend, before telling us” she said angrily, before sitting back down in her seat, and quickly apologized to Laura and Clint for the outburst.

  “Okay, that was stupid of me to ask, and yeah, I understand that it’s not something most people can tell others willy nilly, even these days. But it just makes me wonder, what else have you not told us?” Tony asked, looking sorry for asking, while rubbing the part of his head where Nat hit him.

  “Let’s put it this way, Tony. If I put everything You didn’t know about me in a book, it’d be a multi-volume series, with some books not being appropriate for children under 17” Steve said, smirking at Tony’s shocked expression.

  “Okay, let’s not delve further into that subject. You may resume your story. But we’re getting close to the explanation about the ring, right?” Tony asked, and Steve nodded.

  “So, only a select few knew about me and Bucky, but they all accepted us, which was something we weren’t used to, but we happily embraced. Dum Dum used to call us ‘The Sweethearts’, and they all poked fun at us when we got ‘cutesy’ as they all called it, but we all knew there was no hate behind anything they ever said. Bucky and I shared a tent, which nobody had any objections to, and for the first time since I had realized I loved him, I felt like I didn’t have to worry about us being together. I could just enjoy us, without being scared someone would find out and kill us.

  “We used to talk about what we’d do when the war was over. The Howlies all wanted to go back to their families, understandably. Dum Dum used to talk about marrying his girl back home, which got us on the subject of marriage one night. We were all sitting near a fire, I had my arms wrapped around Bucky’s waist, both because it was cold, and because I was so happy to get to hold him around people without being scared. We were kind of just listening in on the other Howlies plans for years later, when suddenly, Gabe turned to us, and asked us what our plans were.

  “We were both at a loss for words, we hadn’t really thought about it, what with the war and all that. But that was when I realized that we probably wouldn’t get to be together forever, like normal couples. We would probably have to marry some dame, to keep people from getting suspicious, settle down, have seperate families. I think it dawned on both of us, because Bucky and I looked at each other, and he had the same look on his face that I knew I did. It was the look of fear.

  “The Howlies must have caught on too, because they all looked at us like a plan was forming in their heads. ‘You two just realized the same thing, didn’t you? That you can’t be together forever after the war is over, unless you run away and live somewhere remote?’ Dum Dum asked us, and he sounded so sympathetic. Bucky and I both nodded, and that was when Morita spoke up. He looked at us and said, ‘You know that just because you can’t get married legally doesn’t mean you can’t marry each other, right? Marriage is supposed to be a symbol of two people’s love for each other, not some paper that makes it legal’ And then it clicked with me. 

  “We didn’t have to get married in a huge ceremony and sign a paper. All we needed was each other and two rings. So what if society wouldn’t deem us legal? It didn’t matter to me whether or not society approved. I looked down at Bucky and smiled at him, an idea already forming in my head. He looked at me with that look he always gave me when he knew I was planning some kind of trouble. ‘I know that look’ he said, and I smiled even wider. And that’s when I asked him, ‘Buck, will you marry me?’. And he looked at me with the widest smile I had ever seen in my entire life, and I already knew his answer. We both leaned in, and shared a kiss, while the Howlies all cheered and laughed.

  “The only thing we needed now were the rings, and we managed to get those in a small town we had saved from Hydra troops. I walked in with Bucky, and we pretended to be buying rings for our sweethearts. He managed to find a big enough one for my finger, claiming that his girl had big hands. That night, we decided to get married. We asked who wanted to officiate, and Dum Dum volunteered. The other guys acted as witnesses, and Dum Dum did his best to officiate. We exchanged our vows and rings, and there were tears from both of us, I’ll admit to that. And then Dum Dum pronounced us husbands, and said we could kiss. It was, and still is the happiest moment of my life” Steve said, smiling sadly, remembering that night, feeling tears build up at the corner of his eyes again. He took a few deep breaths, and looked around. 

  “So that’s how you got that ring. You are married, just not legally. That’s really sweet, Cap” Tony said, smiling at him.

  “Yeah, that’s how I got the ring. But the best day of my life was followed very quickly by the worst day of my life. The day I couldn’t save Bucky, and he fell. I couldn’t watch him fall, I was devastated. If I could have only reached a little farther, I could have saved him. But in the end, I failed. And I lost my husband, the ring still around his finger as he fell” Steve paused, and wiped the tears that had fallen from his eyes, before continuing.

  “Not long after that, I crashed a plane into the ice, and froze for 70 years. When I woke up, my ring was still around my finger, a constant reminder that I could have been happy with my husband, if I had just reached a little further. The one I wear now isn’t exactly the same one, but it’s not a replica either. The first chance I got, I asked Fury if he could find some way to reinforce it, so that the metal wasn’t weak from age, and easily breakable. He did so, and quickly gave it back to me. I don’t wear it all the time. When I’m normally around everyone else, I take it off. It was a secret I wasn’t ready to share. I would only wear it during missions, under my gloves. It would serve as a part of Bucky still with me, fighting alongside me.

  “I thought I would never get to see him again, until Washington D.C happened. That fight on the highway showed me that my husband was still alive. But in a cruel twist of fate, he was a weapon for Hydra, and doesn’t remember me at all. And in an even crueler twist of fate, his entire left arm, and wedding ring, the symbol of our marriage, our love for each other of our bond through the years, is gone. That’s why I looked for him for 2 years. 

  “My husband is alive, and out there, trying to piece together his past, our past. I can’t let him do that alone. I loved him then, and I love him just as much now. I know that the only person who’s encountered him besides me is Nat, but I know that you all heard what happened. And I understand if you can’t see him as anything but the Winter Soldier, and you don’t approve of me looking for him. But he’s my husband, and when I married him, I promised to be with him, and love him till the end of the line. I thought the end of the line was over seventy years ago. Then I found out he was alive. I can not let him go on his own. I love him, and I refuse to leave him” Steve finished, sounding resolved, knowing nobody would be able to stop him, even if they tried.

  “I understand Steve. I had to go through something like that. I made a mistake, and I almost lost Pepper because of it. I was ready to move heaven and earth to get her back, and I fought as hard as I could to find her. I know how that feels, that need to fight everyone to get the person you love back. All you have to do is ask, and I will help you find Barnes” Tony said, putting his hand on Steve’s shoulder in support. 

  “Thank you, Tony. When we finally defeat Ultron, I will definitely accept your offer. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate it immensely” Steve said, smiling at him kindly. He felt extremely grateful for how accepting his team, his friends, his family are. He looked down at the ring on his finger, and smiled, feeling hope for him and Bucky, for the first time since they had gotten married. He would see Bucky again, he could feel it in his heart. He would get to be with his husband once more.


End file.
